Should You Use the Parasite in Baldur’s Gate 3?

If there’s one thing Larian promotes in Baldur’s Gate 3, it’s freedom; you can pick sides in conflicts, save or eliminate people, and choose how far to go with Illithid powers. The parasite in your head craves other parasites, but should you eat them in Baldur’s Gate 3?

Should I eat the parasite in BG3?

You’ll come across two types of parasites in Baldur’s Gate 3, the first being the parasite specimen. They are found throughout the game, such as on the doctor’s desk in the Githyanki Crèche or the dead bodies of certain foes.

For the most part, you can consume these normal parasites as you please. The only negative here is many companions, minus Astarion, will dislike you doing this each time. In addition, you probably shouldn’t do this if you want to roleplay as someone fully rejecting the parasites.

Outside of those reasons, you absolutely should eat the parasites. They grant access to special Illithid mind flayer powers you won’t normally have, making the game much easier and even breaking the meta in some cases.

What happens if you eat a parasite in Baldur’s Gate 3 Act 2?

That said, there is a parasite you obtain later in Baldur’s Gate 3‘s story, so there are some light spoilers ahead. The Supreme Tadpole is a special one you get near the end of Act 2. You have the option to eat it then and gain wonderful powers, or hold onto it and eat it later if you’d like.

Note that eating this particular specimen will change your character permanently and your game’s ending. In exchange, you’ll gain unbelievable powers you can’t obtain otherwise, but it may not be worth it for most players because of how your companions react and the direction your story heads in. I suggest eating this parasite on your second playthrough at minimum.

Can you remove the parasite in BG3?

Despite having multiple options to “remove” your parasite in Baldur’s Gate 3, such as asking Nettie at the Emerald Grove or getting Volo to put an icepick in your brain, you actually can’t get rid of it. This isn’t a bad thing, though, as, like I mentioned above, you can feed it with other parasites and grow your Illithid Powers to make you a force to be reckoned with.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is available for the PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.